Last sentence of page 99 for eBook readers:
「ぜひ、きみにもいって、参加者のなかにやつがいないかどうかみてもらいたい。」
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Week 9
December 30th
Case Part 1
92 - 99
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January 6th
Case Part 2
100 - 108
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January 13th
Case Part 3
110 - 118
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January 20th
Solution Part 1
120 - 129
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January 27th
Solution Part 2
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February 3rd
Solution Part 3
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I hadn’t noticed this before. Because the e-book is just image files (like a manga), and the same pages are numbered as in the physical book, us digitals are at no disadvantage =D
Is ミミッチーマウス a character from the previous book? Because unless I’m missing something, there’s nothing in this reading which indicates there’s a crime that necessitates Hanae’s presence at this party. I mean, I know the character page says he’s a thief, but the story itself doesn’t seem to establish that.
@nienque yes! I really quite like the breaks for upping my enthusiasm, I think.
I think they’re a mysterious recurring character, yes (though others will be better placed to comment on that) - there is a little description on the character page at the very beginning of the book though. Doesn’t explain the connection with Hanae, mind.
No, the story explains that one at least - she’s the only one who knows his face.
But yeah, I checked the previous volume’s character page, and he’s listed there too. Guess there’s a bit more assumed knowledge required than we’d thought.
Book one spoiler: There’s a group that is targeted by ミミッチーマウス. After their item is stolen, Hanae works out who the thief is. However, because ミミッチーマウス only steals from bad people, Hanae works out that the victims are bad people, making her less interested in catching ミミッチーマウス (which also puts her in a bad spot because the bad people are bad people). In the end, ミミッチーマウス gets away (although Capone does his part(?) to try and stop the thief). Hanae is the only one who will know ミミッチーマウス by his true face.
Edit to add:
On page 98, there’s mention of information that ミミッチーマウス will steal the diamond. And since Hanae is the only one who’s seen his face (as per the prior book)…
Edit 2:
My PNG-format contribution to kittydom.
(In case anywhere is ever in need of sharing Costume Capone with the world.)
Page 93
This sentence threw me a bit: カポネじゃだめかしら。
First, I’ve never seen じゃ without a ない, but perhaps it is just that Japanese has a greater tendancy than English to ask negative questions even when hoping for an affirmative response?? In my notes above I translated it as “I wonder if Capone can’t.” in keeping with the negative, but in more natural English I’m guessing it would be “I wonder if Capone can win.” Yes?? NO??
My detective-y musings: Set off by Hanae-san (a cat owner in the land of 可愛い a.k.a. Japan) stating that a cute cat contest is strange, a few dozen extra of my grey cells got together to process an extremely approximate exchange rate on the monies mentioned - that is a ridiculously large cash prize amount! I smell a rat right there on page 1 of this case!
I (roughly) translate this as: “If it’s Capone, I wonder if it’s no good.” But, I agree, in English we would say something more like, “I wonder if Capone is good enough (to win)?”
I did know じゃ was a contraction of では but I didn’t know it could be used immediately after a noun like that. I had presumed the verb was dropped as being contextually understood, but having read Maggie sensei’s examples, that is not the case and so I would say you were bang on with your first, more literal, translation:
That’s how I interpreted it - I’m presuming it’s a major thoroughfare in the town as it runs past the station, meaning there would be lots of contestants.
Still planning to read book 1, so don’t want to click the spoiler. I do want to know what’s up with this character before I read this week’s reading. Is it alright if I dive in and read the third story from book one, or does that story also presuppose knowledge of an earlier story from book 1?
I imagine that ミミッチーマウス will not be apprehended in this book either. They are effectively the arch-nemesis, though in this case they’re the ‘sympathetic arch-nemesis’. One of those characters who pops up from book to book.
Page 95
うーん、まけてられないわ。
I’m a bit lost with this construction. We have まける, ‘to lose’, in て-form, followed by られない, which looks like a passive construction (negative). But why is it independent and connected via the て-form, rather than just having the passive form of まける itself?
Even if it were まけている with a dropped い, I don’t really understand why you’d use the ている form for this sentence…
Because she is still in the process of getting Capone ready for the competition???
Edit to add:
I’ve been reading…
for いる the passive and potential forms are the same, and here I think it is the potential, (can’t lose, rather than isn’t lost) and the potential to win or lose is ongoing until the winner is declared.
I really quite like the breaks for upping my enthusiasm, I think.
